Characteristics of a specific reading disorder (dyslexia)

INTRODUCTION

The specific reading disorder (dyslexia) is characterized by an impaired ability to recognize words, slow and insecure reading and poor understanding. This is not due to factors such as low intelligence or significant sensory impairments. Often is accompanied by other changes in written expression, calculation or some other type of communication disorder.

Historically, different names have been used to characterize these reading disabilities, such as "dyslexia", "alexia", "reading disability", "mirror reading", etc. The term dyslexia is still used to describe a syndrome of reading disability including verbal deficiencies, cognitive and ill-defined handedness. However, there is still much debate about the diagnostic validity and independent of the dyslexic disorder. Some authors deny the existence of the disorder while others believe that there is continuity without clear limits between severe difficulty for reading and normality.

Another problem in the treatment of reading problems is the variability of events inside the group, which can distinguish various groups. In one group are placed those children who can fully understand an oral explanation, but not a written text with the same content (be able to understand if they could recognize and read the words correctly). This group would be the one that is traditionally called dyslexic. In a second group would be children that misread words and manifest comprehension problems, both written and oral (unlike the first group). In this case we would refer to general reading delay.

1. CONCEPT OF DYSLEXIA

1.1. What is Dyslexia?

By "dyslexia", the difficulties of many students in the acquisition of language, and the problems that derive from it, such as reading and writing.

We can say that the "dyslexia" is the effect of a multiplicity of causes that can seriate between two poles: on the one hand, neurophysiological factors (which slows the maturation of the nervous system) and on the other hand, conflicts psychogenic (caused by pressure and tensions in the environment in which the child develops).

Dyslexia can occur in children whose IQ is normal, and no physical or psychological problems that may explain these difficulties.

1.2. Types of Dyslexia

Regarding the types of dyslexia, we first must distinguish between acquired dyslexia and dyslexia. Acquired Dyslexia appears to cause particular brain injury. In developmental dyslexia, however, the individual has the disease characteristics difficulties without a specific cause to explain it.

Both acquired dyslexia as in evolutionary can differentiate three types of dyslexia, classified according to the predominant symptoms in the patient:

a) In Literal Dyslexia, also referred to as, "Letter Blindness," a person has difficulty in identifying letters, matching upper case letters with lowercase, naming letters, or matching sounds with the corresponding letters. In Word Dyslexia, a person may read individual letters of the word but not the word itself, or read a word, but, not understand the meaning of the word. Some dyslexics may read words partially. For example, a person may read the word, "lice," as, "ice" or as, "like." The person may realize that these are incorrect, but cannot read those words correctly. Some dyslexics do better by moving their finger along the outline of a word or, by tracing the letters in the air.

b) In Phonological Dyslexia, a person has difficulty in converting letters to their sounds. They can read words that are already familiar to them, but have trouble reading unfamiliar or novel words. They also have difficulty in reading a nonword such as, "tord." They may misread this nonword as a real word that looks similar. They sometime also misread actual words as other ones that look similar. The word, "shut" may pose this particular problem, much to a listener's dismay.

c) In Neglect Dyslexia, a person neglects either the left or the right side of words, a problem particularly highlighted in reading long words. For example, if asked to read, "strowt," he or she may read it as, "owt." Given a word such as, "alphabetically," persons with this particular form of dyslexia will miss some of the first few letters. For example, they may read it simply as, "betically." There may be a problem with compound words. For example, a compound word such as, "cowboy' may be read partially, as, "cow" or "boy."

d) In Semantic Dyslexia, a person distorts the meaning of a word or incorrectly reads a word because of the confusion in the meaning of the given word. People with semantic dyslexia may say an antonym, synonym, or a subordinate of a word instead of the word proper. For example, they may misread, "dog," as "cat" or "fox." They may misread, "twist" as "twisted" or "buy" as "bought." Some have trouble reading function words such as, "of," "an," "not,'' and "and."

e) In Spelling Dyslexia, a person may have a problem reading all types of words and sometimes have trouble identifying individual letters. Their reading is extremely slow and hesitant, particularly on long words. While a normal reader takes about 30 milliseconds for reading each additional letter, a spelling dyslexic may take about a second to do the same. Some dyslexics tend to read words, one letter at a time, even if those are short and familiar.

1.3. Origin of the factors that cause dyslexia:

a) Poor lateralization (left or right handed children) disorders caused by perceptual, visuospatial and language that come to be at the core of the problem of dyslexia. It is noteworthy that influences the motor laterality, therefore, a child with poor laterality is usually awkward when manual work graphic strokes and often uncoordinated.

b) Changes in the psychomotor. It is a psycho-motor immaturity. In this field include:

o Lack of pace-dissociated and asymmetric movements.

o Lack of balance.

o Knowledge deficient body schema.

c) Perceptual disorders. Limited spatial perception. Confusions from left and right up and down.

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